Methods of gene suppression include use of anti-sense, co-suppression, and RNA interference. Anti-sense gene suppression in plants is described by Shewmaker et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,107,065, 5453,566, and 5,759,829. Gene suppression in bacteria using DNA which is complementary to mRNA encoding the gene to be suppressed is disclosed by Inouye et al. in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,190,931, 5,208,149, and 5,272,065. RNA interference or RNA-mediated gene suppression has been described by, e.g., Redenbaugh et al. in “Safety Assessment of Genetically Engineered Fruits and Vegetables”, CRC Press, 1992; Chuang et al. (2000) PNAS, 97:4985-4990; and Wesley et al. (2001) Plant J., 27:581-590.
Several cellular pathways involved in RNA-mediated gene suppression have been described, each distinguished by a characteristic pathway and specific components. See, for example, the reviews by Brodersen and Voinnet (2006), Trends Genetics, 22:268-280, and Tomari and Zamore (2005) Genes & Dev., 19:517-529. The siRNA pathway involves the non-phased cleavage of a double-stranded RNA to small interfering RNAs (“siRNAs”). The microRNA pathway involves microRNAs (“miRNAs”), non-protein coding RNAs generally of between about 19 to about 25 nucleotides (commonly about 20-24 nucleotides in plants) that guide cleavage in trans of target transcripts, negatively regulating the expression of genes involved in various regulation and development pathways; see Ambros et al. (2003) RNA, 9:277-279. Plant miRNAs have been defined by a set of characteristics including a paired stem-loop precursor that is processed by DCL1 to a single specific ˜21-nucleotide miRNA, expression of a single pair of miRNA and miRNA* species from the double-stranded RNA precursor with two-nucleotide 3′ overhangs, and silencing of specific targets in trans. See Bartel (2004) Cell, 116:281-297; Kim (2005) Nature Rev. Mol. Cell Biol., 6:376-385; Jones-Rhoades et al. (2006) Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 57:19-53; Ambros et al. (2003) RNA, 9:277-279. In the trans-acting siRNA (“ta-siRNA”) pathway, miRNAs serve to guide in-phase processing of siRNA primary transcripts in a process that requires an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase for production of a double-stranded RNA precursor; trans-acting siRNAs are defined by lack of secondary structure, a miRNA target site that initiates production of double-stranded RNA, requirements of DCL4 and an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR6), and production of multiple perfectly phased ˜21-nt small RNAs with perfectly matched duplexes with 2-nucleotide 3′ overhangs (see Allen et al. (2005) Cell, 121:207-221).
This invention discloses a novel pathway for RNA-mediated gene suppression, based on an endogenous locus termed a “phased small RNA locus”, which transcribes to an RNA transcript forming a single foldback structure that is cleaved in phase in vivo into multiple small double-stranded RNAs (termed “phased small RNAs”) capable of suppressing a target gene. In contrast to siRNAs, a phased small RNA transcript is cleaved in phase. In contrast to miRNAs, a phased small RNA transcript is cleaved by DCL4 or a DCL4-like orthologous ribonuclease (not DCL1) to multiple abundant small RNAs capable of silencing a target gene. In contrast to the ta-siRNA pathway, the phased small RNA locus transcribes to an RNA transcript that forms hybridized RNA independently of an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and without a miRNA target site that initiates production of double-stranded RNA. Novel recombinant DNA constructs that are designed based on a phased small RNA locus are useful for suppression of one or multiple target genes, without the use of miRNAs, ta-siRNAs, or expression vectors designed to form a hairpin structure for processing to siRNAs. Furthermore, the recognition sites corresponding to a phased small RNA are useful for suppression of a target sequence in a cell or tissue where the appropriate phased small RNA is expressed endogenously or as a transgene.